Customer Testimonial: “The real difference is the support”

The best days on the job are when you hear positive feedback from the customers you work so hard to serve. At Border States, we’re so proud of our employee-owners for their attitudes and focus on delivering service excellence to each and every customer that comes through the door, calls us on the phone or sends us an email.

Recently, we received the following email from Mike Lisk at Remote Well Solutions in Cloudcroft, New Mexico. It may be one of the best acknowledgements we have ever received regarding one of our employee-owners. See what Mike had to say about Ahmad Khosti, our Southwest Region Automation Supervisor.

My name is Mike Lisk, and my company is Remote Well Solutions, LLC, located in Cloudcroft, New Mexico. My company offers control and integration services in our area, primarily controls for water systems for the small communities. Last week, I had a variable frequency drive (VFD) fail at one site. The situation was very critical for my customer. The VFD was on a transfer pump that the entire community of roughly 200 homes relied on. I contacted the Alamogordo BSE and found they had a drive on hand. Donny at BSE Alamogordo was great to help and had the Power Flex 700 ready when I arrived. However, replacing the existing drive with the Power Flex unit required that I learn a new programming tree, something that can take some time. I knew Paul Harbinson, Product Manager, from my days in Phoenix and contacted him. Paul gave me Southwest Region Automation Supervisor Ahmad Khosti’s phone number. Often tech support is just leave a voice mail, but Ahmad answered the phone when I called.

I explained the application, and Ahmad was absolutely great in walking me through the programming tree. At one point, he had to attend to something and put me in touch with a field service tech. He, too, was great. By the time we were ready for start-up, it was very late. The VFD was operating and controlling, but I started having issues with instrumentation on another pump with a current imbalance. Turned out the Power Flex Drive though operating correctly was only drawing power from two phases. This condition caused the imbalance at our service. You can only imagine the feeling I had late at night, knowing I would not be able to reach anyone. But I called Ahmad anyway, and again, he answered the phone when I called. After a few quick checks, we determined there was indeed a problem with the drive. He assured me he would have a drive overnighted and be there to work with me through the problem. Because of our location, I did not expect the drive to arrive at my door overnight. I was wrong. It arrived as Ahmad had promised, and I was able to install the replacement unit without issue. It started and is operating perfectly.

I know I have carried on a bit to explain details with this message, but I wanted you to get a feel for the desperation of the moment and the relief that Ahmad brought to the situation. His knowledge of his product and professionalism was a great example of how to manage a problem. The community water storage tank had only inches of water when we started the drive. Talk about just in time.

Please understand my appreciation for your team. From Donny in Alamogordo to Paul Harbinson, Customer Service Representative, Cleford Siguaben, the tech support in Wisconsin and especially Ahmad. Each one treated our problem like it was his own personal problem.

There are many choices when it comes to automation products. The real difference is the support behind the product, including answering the phone when it rings, even at night. By Ahmad taking the time to talk with me after hours and make decisions, we all got a little sleep that night.

I am grateful for their help and support and want you to know they represented Border States and Allen-Bradley very well.